One out of every ten web readers bypass paywalls to access content without paying.
Paywall Circumvention: The Cat and Mouse Game
Paywalls are often the last salvation for publishers, but a study from Georgia Tech and Notre Dame reveals that readers are finding ways around them more often than one might think.
The Study in QuestionsThis investigation analyzed almost seven million page views on the biggest thirty North American news websites. The result? A whopping 11% of users who encountered a paywall successfully bypassed it. For opinion pieces, the number increased to 13.6%. It seems that readers are willing to go the extra mile for unique or non-replicable content.
However, these numbers could be even higher. The researchers used a novel method to track circumvention behavior using clickstream data. This method only catches users who quickly access the same article. It cannot detect users who access a different premium article, wait several hours, or scrape the content from the HTML. Additionally, it doesn't consider third-party bypass sites like 12ft or RemovePaywall.
The Evasion TechniquesThe most common method of evasion? Going incognito. Private browsing or deleting cookies accounted for over 80% of circumvention. The rest was split between switching browsers, switching devices, or disabling JavaScript - all simple, yet effective workarounds for metered paywalls.
Most users, however, don't bother. A majority (57%) simply leave the site when blocked. Another 20% opt for non-premium content, while 10% refresh in a doomed attempt to bypass the barrier. Interestingly, users who accessed sites directly were significantly more likely to subscribe or circumvent, indicating deeper engagement. Conversely, visitors from social media bounced 74% of the time after hitting a paywall.
The Future of PaywallsCircumvention is possible due to the design of many news sites, which run metered paywalls that allow a few free reads and use cookies to track when users have hit the limit. This design aims for visibility in search engines and social feeds but makes it easy for readers to reset the meter and slip past the gate. Hard paywalls, which block content entirely for non-subscribers, are more robust, but few publishers have the brand pull or pricing power to use them.
Researchers suggest that publishers could improve their responses to the findings. By detecting circumvention patterns, they argue, outlets could offer targeted promotions to users attempting to evade. Another option would be incorporating circumvention behavior into ad profiles. For example, someone who disables JavaScript might be identified as tech-savvy and served relevant ads.
The Bottom LineWhile the study reaffirms what most already know, paywalls do work, just not as effectively as publishers would like. As publishers adopt increasingly advanced, AI-driven paywall and bot-detection systems, traditional circumvention methods become less effective [3][5].
- Against the backdrop of the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between publishers and readers, the study discovered that a significant portion of media finance business, particularly technology-savvy individuals, are employing evasion techniques to access premium news content without subscription.
- In light of the rising use of private browsing and deleting cookies as the preferred method of bypassing paywalls, there is a growing need for media outlets to strategize their approach and possibly implant AI-driven detection systems to counteract these circumvention methods, ensuring the sustainability of their business model in technology-driven scenarios.
